Process of installing water-front walls



E. K. HAND. PROCESS OF INSTALLING WATER FRONT WAL LS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2, 1919.

. Patented July 20, 1920.

I n Vania Edgar K. Hana UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR K. HAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES TURNER BROWN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF INSTALLING WATER-FRONT WALLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Application filed September 2, 1919. Serial No. 321,164.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR K. HAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Installing Water-Front Walls, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings annexed.

This invention relates to the process, or method, of installing water front walls, and particularly to the construction and installation of a concrete water front wall which is a continuous mass, and consists of spaced pilasters and panels between said pilasters.

Among the objects of this invention is to obtain a process or method of installing c011- crete walls on water fronts which will produce a solid construction which is a continuous mass, having no seams, interstices, cracks or apertures through which water can be forced or otherwise caused to flow.

A further object is to obtain a process or method of installing a water front wall which will not be undermined at the lower edges thereof, and from which the backing will not be removed.

In the drawing referred to I illustrate the several members entering into a wall installed by this process or method, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of a panel and a pile which are, respectively, adapted to form members in said wall;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the pile which is also illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the upper end, or top, of a wall which has been installed by this process; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective of a member of the nozzle end of the pipe extending longitudinally through the pile.

A reference character applied to designate a given part of the several members illustrated, indicates said partthroughout the several figures of the drawing, wherever the same appears.

In carrying out this process I first construct panels of reinforced concrete, as panel A, providing said panels with grooves, as a, a, on the face thereof which comes in contact, as will be hereinafter described, with the piles. I also provide, on the lower side or edge thereof, the bevel edge a, for purposes hereinafter described. For rea sons hereinafter disclosed said beveled edge designated a does not extend to the ends of said panels; said ends being of uniform thickness the entire depth thereof, as illustrated by end of, Fig. 1. I also leave the upper edge or side of the panels unfinished, as at B, Fig. 1, withthe vertically extending reinforcing members 6, Z), projecting beyond said side B. This method of making panels A, A, permits the placing of a monolithic top or coplng, (B Fig. 3), on the wall, as the final step of the herein described process.

An additional step in the carrying out of this process or method of installing water walls is the building up of reinforced concrete piles O, C; each of which piles has embedded therein, (by flowing around it a concrete mixture before the same is hardened), a pipe D. This pipe extends longitudinally through the pile to near the lower end thereof, and extending above said pile at the upper end. The projecting upper end of said pipe D is provided with screw threads, by the reference character D in Figs. 1 and 2, to which a hose is attached, as hereinafter recited. At the lower end of pipe D I attach, by means of coupling E, the nozzle pipe F, of novel construction. Said nozzle pipe includes the member G, which is illustrated in perspective in Fig. 4, said member being driven or otherwise forced into said nozzle pipe F, so as to be rigidly held therein. Member G is provided with wings or blades 9, extending outward from the central hub 9 and winding spirally at the outer edges g thereof, around said hub 9 These blades are thicker at the lower ends thereof, than at the upper ends, said increase in thickness commencing below the center of said member, and by said thickening I obtain the restricted apertures 9*, 9*, said thickening being on the forward side of the blades, as is indicated at g The function of the spiral winding of the several blades g, g, is to produce a whirling motion to water flowing rapidly through said pipe D and from said nozzle end G; and the restricted openings caused by the thickening of the blades 9 produces great velocity to said flow. I find in practising this process that one quarter turn of the outer edges 5/ of said blades g, said turning not being too rapidly made, will so deflect and whirl said water as to obtain from, say, a two inch pipe, a whirling body of water of approximately fourteen to sixteen 'inches in diameter when the forward motion thereof 1s obstructed, as byv dirt or mud, under'the conditions hereinafter set forth.

The pile G is provided with rabbets C C and steps C C in which rabbets and on which steps, in carrying out this process or method, the endsof panels A, A, are

I, Fig. 1, represents a tongue, which by this method or process is driven into groove a, from the upper edge of the panels to the step 0 the function of said tongue being to seal, or partially seal the grooves (Z, (Z, in case the panels do not fit closely to the face of the pile adjacent thereto, in the carrying out of the process, or method.

The bevel a on the lower edge of the respective panels A, does'not extend to the end of said panels, so that a suitable bearing surface, as at is provided, to rest on said step C and said panel to be thereby well supported. The portion of the'pile which'is illustrated in the drawing as between the step C and the lower end of said pile is gradually rounded and decreased in cross section,'and said lower end is rounded substantially as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

When a water wall installed by this process is to form a breakwater, and there is believed to be a probability of currents being created in the water coming in contact with the wall,with a liability that said currents may undermine the paneled portion of the wall, and'so permit the'back fill to be washed out therefrom, the piles used are provided with the jetty or mud sill J, Fig. 2, which is integral with the body of said pile, and

' suitably. reinforced.

I. find that the mud sill J, prevents scouring, as it is termed, between the several piles,

protecting the lower edges of the panels from being uncovered by earth or mud.

1 A suitable number of'panels A, A, and piles C (3 being provided, the process of installing the wall is as follows,

The piles are successively placed vertically inspaced. relation with each other, to correspond with the length of the panels. As

each pile is placed in said vertical position it is lowered until the lower end thereof sinks into, or becomes embedded in the bed or bottom of the body of. water which will, when the wall is installed, come in contact with the front thereof. A hose orflexible pipe is then connected to the upper end of pipe D, and water under great pressure, say

I not less than one hundred and fifty'pounds per square inch, is forced into and'through said pipe, and f is discharged therefrom through the nozzle pipe F and nozzle G. Said nozzle being made as illustrated in Fig. 4 and .hereinbefore described, said .water, discharged therefrom, swirls or has a spirally rotary movement, and rapidly removes obstructions .under the lower end of said pile, and said pile will thereupon (in nearly every case by its own weight), descend. The operationis continued until the determined descent or sinking of said pile is accomplished. lVhere it is found that the descent of a pile stops beforesaid determined sinking is accomplished additional weight isplaced on the'upper end of the'pile.

A plurality of piles in spaced relation be' ing positioned, each in the manner above described, a panel A is fitted vertically in place between adj aeent piles and permitted to descend, said descent being effected by its weight, until the lower end of the ends thereof are in contact with the steps 0 and below the bed or bottom of the water where the wall is beinginstalled. I find in practice it is necessary, occasionally, to use what is termed a portable jet, that is, a nozzle attached tothe end of a flexible pipe and to 7 direct by'means thereof, a flow of water under pressure onto or against the lower beveled edge of sa1d panel A, to accomplish the descent thereof to rest on step C Y 7 When the piles and panels are installed, as above described, I find, at times, the con tact or fit between the panels and the piles is sufficiently close to allow me to proceed with the next essential step'in my process. lVhere said contact or fit is not sufiiciently close the strips or packings I, I, are inserted and driven down into the'longitudinally extending passage ways which are obtained by the groovescZ, (Z, and the adjacent faces of the piles. The strips which form the packings I, I, may well be of wood of a size and shape to fit closely in said passage ways. The close fit of the panel to the piles, in the descent thereof to its positionon the steps C C is facilitated by the beveled edge of said panel; said beveled edge being on the back or dirt side of said panelv When the passage ways extending from -the steps upward and formed by the; walls 7 of the grooves (Z, (Z, and so much of the face of the piles as is between the edges of the side walls of said grooves, is sufficiently sealed, either with or w1thout the use of said packlng I, said passageways are grouted.

It will be observed that the piles and panels being positioned as and by'the severa-l hereinbefore described steps of this process, said passage ways (Z, (Z, form wells which contain considerable water, and to efiectively deposit a groutimixture in place at the lower ends of said wells and on said steps, in condition with the elements thereof aggregated and adapted to set or crystallize into a solid mass adhering to the walls of said wells, thereby becoming integral therewith, I provide a dehydrated concrete mixture, or grouting, and I convey said grouting in its dehydrated condition to the place in said wells where it is to be deposited, and hydrated. To effect the foregoing, I insert a flexible hose, (shown in cross section in Fig. 3, and designated by the reference character K), in said wells, and to near the bottom thereof, and from said hose I discharge air, under considerable pressure, into said wells in suflicient volume to thereby drive substantially all the water in said wells out therefrom.

Substantially all the water in said wells being driven therefrom by said flow of air under pressure from said flexible hose, I introduce into the air discharged therefrom the dehydrated grouting, to be deposited in said wells. The pressure of the mixture of air and grouting is sufficient to prevent the flow of water into the flexible pipe and to force' the grouting discharged from the hose into said wells and into a shallow body of water, if any there be, below the lower end of said flexible hose. On the deposit of the grouting in said wells a separation occurs between said grouting and said air, the grouting settling or sinking below the hose and the air flowing upward in said wells, whether there be sufficient water in the wells belowsaid hose to hydrate the grouting or whether it remains for a brief time in its dehydrated condition. A deposit of said grouting being first made in the manner recited on said step C as the quantity of said grouting increases the hose is gradually raised, and the air which is released therefrom separating from the grouting, water settles or percolates thereinto, and hydrates it. I find in practice that the sealing of said wells by the strip I is suflicient to enable me to obtain, at the lower ends thereof and above the grouting therein, a pressure which prevents a flow of water into said wells faster than can be held back by the air pressure; and I also find that as soon as slight depth is obtained in the dehydrated grouting deposited in said wells sufficient water seeps or falls into it to hydrate it. This process of filling said wells with dehydrated grouting is continued until the deposit thereof reaches substantially to the water level therein, and thereafter water is supplied thereto in sufficient quantity to hydrate the grouting.

The relative quantity of air under pressure and of the grouting which is discharged from the flexible hose is determined by suitable adjusting means, and the pressure of the air in said hose is variable, depending on the depth of the water in said wells; but as hereinbefore recited, said pressure is at all times suflicient to force the mixture of air and grouting out of said hose and to direct said grouting to where it is required to be deposited, to seal said wells completely and join the panel and piles into a single mass of reinforced concrete. The volume of air supplied is at all times sufficient to convey the grout mixture to and deposit it in said wells, and to prevent its hydration before the discharge thereof from said hose. The clogging of said hose is thereby prevented, and the deposit of said grouting assured.

hen a water wall is completed by the hereinbefore described process or method, a coping or flooring, (in the case of a dock), is joined to the upper end of the wall, in the usual Way.

I claim;

The process of grouting wells between bodies of concrete, said wells having water therein, and making said grouting integral with said bodies, which comprises the substantial sealing of the walls of said wells, the expulsion, by means of air under pressure, of substantially all of the water in said wells, the conveying to and discharging thereinto and near the lower ends of said wells, a mixture of air and dehydrated grouting, under pressure suflicient to direct said grouting to said lower ends, subsequently hydrating said grouting, and continuously directing a mixture of air and dehydrated grouting on said continuously advancing grouting in said wells.

EDGAR K. HAND.

In the presence of- CHARLns TURNER BROWN, B. S. BROWN. 

